CC
John McGuinness
I now call the Chief Whip to move a business proposal in accordance with Standing Order 35(5).
Dail Éireann · 2025-10-15
Party shown is the one held on 2025-10-15, frozen at parse time — not the speaker's party today.
The Government is moving a motion of confidence, when there has been no formal submission of the motion of no confidence. We have not seen the text of the motion of no confidence, so it is unprecedented to make this move. I also add that at the Business Committee meeting on Thursday, I raised the unprecedented crisis in fisheries and seafood communities, which is unprecedented due to the forthcoming loss of quotas across the sectors.
There was no time for the crisis in fisheries and seafood this week, but there is time for an unprecedented move by the Government----- If you are allowed----- -----to move a confidence motion, when there has not been a formal receipt of a no confidence motion. It is usually done to negate the no confidence motion.
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I now call the Chief Whip to move a business proposal in accordance with Standing Order 35(5).
It is proposed notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, or in yesterday’s Order of Business that -
(i) a Motion of Confidence in the Tánaiste shall be taken now, which shall be brought to a conclusion after 2 hours and 25 minutes, with the same speaking order and breakdown of time as contained in the table that applies to the resumed Budget debate this evening, followed by a 10-minute response by a Minister or Minister of State, and all members may share time;
(ii) the SOS shall be taken on the conclusion of the motion of confidence, and the order of business shall resume after the SOS with the Statements on Tillage; and
(iii) no deadlines shall be applied this week for any oral Parliamentary Questions pursuant to Standing Order 47(1) that would have been taken on Thursday 23rd October, 2025.
It is not agreed. This is unprecedented. The Government is moving a motion of confidence, when there has been no formal submission of the motion of no confidence. We have not seen the text of the motion of no confidence, so it is unprecedented to make this move.
I also add that at the Business Committee meeting on Thursday, I raised the unprecedented crisis in fisheries and seafood communities, which is unprecedented due to the forthcoming loss of quotas across the sectors. No time could be made available by the Government this afternoon.
Leas-Cheann Comhairle, this business is without debate.
However, time has been made available now. It has all of a sudden been created to do something that is unprecedented. There was no time for the crisis in fisheries and seafood this week, but there is time for an unprecedented move by the Government-----
If you are allowed-----
-----to move a confidence motion, when there has not been a formal receipt of a no confidence motion. It is usually done to negate the no confidence motion. This is a stunt. It is cynical-----
The Minister of State-----
-----and we will absolutely oppose it.
Hear, hear.
The Minister of State will clarify.
Under Standing Orders, the business I just moved is without debate. It is votable now.
We had a debate, so that did not work.
I echo what Deputy Mac Lochlainn said. At all the Business Committee meetings I have been at, we have seldom had such a direct discussion about needing time as last week - it was on the fisheries issue - and the Chief Whip came down strongly, saying the schedule was full, there was loads of legislation and there was no time for anything. Yet we are engineering a parliamentary schedule that has never happened before, a week in advance of a potential no confidence motion. It is making a mockery of this Parliament. We all know what is going on. We all know the context for this. What is happening is absolutely wrong.
Hear, hear.
I join the other Deputies. It is ridiculous that the Government would rip up the Dáil schedule, as it did last night, and not come in here to urgently enact the occupied territories Bill or address the shortcomings in disability services or treatment for children with scoliosis and spina bifida, but to have a backslapping exercise and put down a motion of confidence in themselves.
Hear, hear.
I am now obliged to put the question. Is it agreed?
Not agreed.